The objective of this research is to investigate the utility of combining relaxation training with chemotherapy in the control of essential hypertension. Specifically, two groups receiving two different but well researched relaxation procedures (Benson, 1975; Bernstein and Borkovec, 1973) will be compared with each other and with a control group receiving chemotherapy alone. All three groups will be equated for therapist's time. Subjects in each group will continue to see their physician for pharmacological treatment of their hypertension. Medication dosage as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be used as dependent variables. In addition, comparisons will be made among the three groups in terms of perceived side effects. Comparisons will be made before and during the four weeks of treatment as well as following treatment and at three follow-up sessions held at ten week intervals. Previous research has not compared the effects of different relaxation procedures. Medication changes have either been held constant for experimental and control groups or have been ignored, but no published articles have used medication changes as a dependent variable. Nor have studies assessed the frequency or severity of side effects caused by medication, which, presumable is one of the reasons for high noncompliance with antihypertensive medication. Many previous studies have used small numbers of subjects. The proposed study calls for 60 subjects and a replacement procedure will compensate for possible attrition. Most previous studies on relaxation and hypertension have failed to obtain follow-up measures for more than a few weeks following treatment. A few incorporate follow-up measures at up to three or six months. The present study will assess blood pressure, medication and side effects up to eight months following treatment.